Leo Wrobel concludes his series on preventing telephone system disasters from affecting you, designating 26 major (or seemingly minor, but nonetheless important) areas you need to check before considering your organization "ready for anything."

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Think of this article as "Telecommunications Disaster Recovery
Considerations, A–Z." There are 26 specific items for your
consideration. Some items center on how to develop a telecommunications recovery
plan; some address how to test one. Many items deal with the important issue of
maintaining command and control. Use this as a handy checklist of items that you
may not have considered with regard to your telecommunications disaster recovery
plan—kind of like the fast-food equivalent for recovery planning.

Let’s dive right in!

A: Where Will You Meet After a Disaster?

Issue: One major role of telecommunications in a disaster is
command and control. You’ll need to set up the eyes and ears of your
organization in a place from which recovery can be coordinated. If your original
building is totally inaccessible or lacks the required telecommunications,
water, or sanitary facilities, it will be necessary to set up a staging area in
a nearby location conducive to your type of business.

Action: Identify a prearranged staging area for recovery
operations, such as in a nearby hotel. After the location has been identified,
it will need to be capable of handling communications. That responsibility lies
in the telecommunications recovery plan.